Yankee Group prediction: Wii going downhill, third-parties may leave

After Nintendo’s astounding success in 2007, you have to wonder if there’s still room for the company to grow after saturating the market with the millions of Wii consoles and DS handhelds sold. Yankee Group Director Mike Goodman had some choice words to say regarding the Wii and how he expects its time in the sun will soon be over.

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There’s no doubt regarding the recent success Nintendo has had over the past year with its next-gen console, the Wii. Raking in astounding numbers in 2007, with nearly 6.3 million units sold, Nintendo certainly is having its moment in the sun. However, this raises the question how long the company’s good fortune will last.

Aside from the console’s sales, software titles have also been pretty strong in terms of sales. While Halo 3 nabbed the title as the best-selling game for 2007, other titles available on the Wii such as Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Fit came in closely behind with its own positive sales numbers.

However, Yankee Group Director Mike Goodman mentions that while the best-selling console has had phenomenal success in the past year, it is most likely to go downhill from here. He was quoted saying: “Yes, the platform is wildly selling, but no one is playing games on it”.

He expects that third-party publishers are most likely to soon abandon it in favor of other platforms. Goodman says that the recent price drops in other consoles should entice gamers to move in their direction. He continues on by asking where Nintendo will go once the Wii runs out of steam and sells out the market.

We’ll all just have to wait and see if this is indeed where the buck stops for Nintendo. With the company’s own positive outlook going into the new year, it’s merely a matter of time whether or not Nintendo still has room to grow. For now, Brawl‘s 40/40 rating from Famitsu is enough to go by with.